Was a Bond So Strong
by hibarikyoya13
Summary: Because humans caused an unstoppable uproar of an unknown species. Because six youngsters of the Italian mafia decided to live through it together, despite devastation and fear. Or in simple words: an apocalypse. [Vongola 10th Gen.]
1. Prologue: Sacrifice

**A/N: **This will actually be a _serious_ tragedy. The story involves anger and… possibly wrath. However, this _does_ depend on every one of you, since your emotional states would be different. Viewer discretion is advised ;)

(Sorry if I'm fucking biased throughout the story; I do have favorites and least favorites. Come on.)

* * *

They'd have to be completely insane or enveloped in darkness to believe this was an ideal place to inhabitant. Every step they took increased the risk little by little. None of them can ever be certain that death won't strangle their frail necks the next second.

"I _know_ we'll find shelter." Gokudera stuck his hands in his pockets in fear. His nails dug past his jeans and into the skin of his thighs. "Juudaime, I just _know_."

"Don't make promises that you can't keep," Hibari scoffed, "I will try to thank you for the encouragement, but lies are unnecessary."

Hayato wanted to say something back – anything. But, he was intelligent enough to know that Hibari was speaking the absolute truth. He had doubt himself that danger may occur, and that they could potentially be in this dumpster the rest of their lives. In fact, those lives they are holding dearly onto right now might suddenly end tomorrow. He knew well that wasting time to argue would be completely idiotic.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, turning to Tsuna. "I can't promise our complete safety."

"G-Gokudera-kun." The said boy frowned.

Gokudera kneeled before his deeply respected friend. His eyes watered as he began to sob quietly to himself, tears landing on the back of his hands. He believed he was pathetic. He believed he was worthless in this situation. Everyone around him was relatively stronger than him. They could all protect Tsuna better than he could.

"Juudaime, I swear–" he began, "–I swear I will protect you with my life. Even if I am so useless that it only grants you an extra minute of survival, I will keep you unharmed until my own death."

They understood him, but no words of encouragement and sympathy could escape their mouths.

"Gokudera, don't say that now. We're fine for the time being." Yamamoto put a hand over his shoulder, and looked up at the grey, fuzzy sky overflowing with filth; the result of mankind which led them to this future.

"Let's move." Mukuro glanced at the emotional group of friends, but quickly turned away.

**-1 hour before the incident-**

"_All citizens evacuate the city into the S.C. 201 immediately!_"

Wails of fear filled everyone's ears. Expressions of horror were plastered over all of their faces as they scrambled through crowds, hurrying to the Sky Cruiser in hope of having a spot to fit inside. They trampled over young children and women who did not have the strength to escape any further. They didn't help them, but instead step across their squirming bodies. In such a situation, it really is doubted that _any_ human would be so kind as to stop to lend a hand.

The Vongola tenth generation boss and his guardians stayed hidden in an alley as the chaos progressed. They vowed to one another that this emptied passageway behind a certain building would be their private meeting spot if anything ever arose.

"Juudaime, we need to escape somehow, too." Gokudera peered outside, observing the people rushing towards the only safe route. "That cruiser is our only way of leaving this destroyed environment."

"We're not leaving," Hibari stated.

"W-What are you saying?!" The silver haired one shouted, wrinkling his eyebrows in both rage and confusion.

"Herbivore, if you understand why this happened, you should agree."

"You're such a sadist! This won't happen again; we'll change–"

"Stop being so shallow. Humans don't change. I cannot stop _those_ idiots anymore, but I can choose to not take part in the massacre of the next planet our race arrives to."

Gokudera bit his lip in defeat. He knew that this may cause the destruction of their next home, but all he wished for was Tsuna's safety.

He sighed and crossed his arms. "Che. So, if you're serious, what do you suppose we do now?"

"We need to confirm that we have food and shelter." Mukuro pulled on his shirt collar that was slightly ripped. A civilian had attempted to attack him in panic during the escape. "There are groceries all around this place, and of course, many emptied houses. However, since all electricity is definitely cut, refrigerated foods won't last a couple days. And, that's where we would be getting most of our nutrients."

"So we should stay in grocery stores for now." Yamamoto forced a smile. "Let's head out when they have all completely evacuated." He lost the grin, and rubbed his eyes with his tuxedo sleeve.

Humans were leaving Earth and yet, they seemed to be so carefree. They weren't as worried as one should be when their family departs, leaving members behind. In a way, this proved that the Vongola's bond was unbreakable during extreme moments. That was enough development for them. Starting off as rivals, but now, they're the closest.

**-End of flashback-**

"Whole Foods should be alright." Tsuna pushed the glass front door, in slight doubt that it would be locked, but surprisingly, it wasn't. He led the group in. "I don't think there's a need to gather food supplies to one place, since this entire place is filled with it. Let's settle down for now."

Everyone scattered and began checking for expiry dates on items. The imprinted dates were not as in the future as they had thought. Many were nearing the next week. They'd have to move soon.

"I despise how all this is going to waste," Hibari growled, and kicked the raw meat freezers. "Their lives would be useless; rotting without being put to use yet. Damn humans."

"Hibari-san, now that I think of it," Tsuna started, furrowing his eyebrows. "All this frozen food; we can't eat it, anyways, since there isn't electricity to power up a microwave or anything."

"I know that, herbivore."

The skylark walked away, as if calmly, to search for more survival products. If anything, he was so agitated. He couldn't stand the idea of force-breeding animals just to end their lives and be eaten by filthy people. Humans always lie. Saying that they all respect moral laws most greatly, yet the slaughter of "natural" farm animals mean nothing to them. Hibari wanted to skin them alive.

He pulled out his tonfas and smacked the shelves of cereal boxes, knocking them down and onto the floor.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Gokudera cursed, while brushing his hair out of the way. "Are you trying to tell us to eat off the ground? I'm not picking those up – _you _will!"

"Che." Hibari narrowed his eyes and turned away from the shallow idiot.

**()()()()()**

During the night, it was especially chill. They could no longer live life snuggling between their plush animals in bed. There _were _no beds, mattresses, or blankets. All that they managed to scavenge for were about a dozen of empty pillow cases. And those were too thin to keep them all warm for even a single hour.

"I'm not suggesting anything, but just so you know," Mukuro whispered, shivering slightly from the cold. "Many mammals come close with their group for the night in winter. The best example is penguins; they cuddle with the herd and stay warm even during blizzards."

"No way; just man up and it'll be the morning the moment you open your eyes after falling asleep." The storm guardian crossed his arms, placing his hands underneath his armpits to keep them heated.

Yamamoto rubbed his nose after a sneeze. "It's not a bad idea, really."

"Baseball-freak, no one would approve–"

"Gokudera-kun, don't you wish to survive?" Tsuna asked with worried eyes.

"J-Juudaime… Of course I do!" Gokudera began to tear up. He was too emotional. He wiped them away quickly, but continued to sob, unstopping. "Of course I want to live on with you!"

"Then let's do what Mukuro-san has told us, please."

The silver haired boy nodded sheepishly. He pulled Tsuna close, wrapping his arms tightly around him. Tsuna closed his eyes with a faint smile, and slowly fell unconscious.

The rest of the group scooted towards them and leaned against the two, also smiling to themselves. They all admired their bond, no matter how each of them may appear on the outside. Whatever the colder ones may say, all of them knew that if another was in danger, risking their life was nothing. Most of them wouldn't ever willingly admit that they were no longer just a mafia organization, and instead _family _now. But, if they thought so deep inside, no other emotion could stand in their way.

**()()()()()**

"Juudaime! Juudaime!"

Tsuna snapped awake, turning his head vigorously to look around. He didn't yet know what was going on, but from the tip of his nose, he could smell the putridness of cold, wet steel. There was also a slight scent of burning. He pushed himself off the ground quickly in shock, though tumbling over his own feet twice, as if he was tied down and trying to escape. After a good amount of tripping, he finally caught himself against a shelf.

He blinked, peering around the grocery, searching for the origin of the voice he heard. His vision was blurred, due to the substance flowing around him, which he thought was thick fog.

"G-Gokudera-kun!" Tsuna called. His scream cracked as he inhaled the misty gas.

"…Juudaime!" Gokudera shouted back afar from the other boy's stance. "Juudaime… You _need _to run!"

This was his first demand ever given to Tsuna, and it was completely serious. Whatever happens, the boss' life came before anyone's. He couldn't even see were Tsuna was, but he knew that he _had _to get out of here.

"Gokudera-kun, where are you?" Tsuna whined in fear.

Everything before him was unclear – all he saw was a beam of light shining through the fog at eleven o'clock. He heard Gokudera's order, but knowing him, something must be going on that he didn't wish for him to know about, and _must've _included all the other guardians, although he hadn't heard from any of them yet. Tsuna debated over whether or not he should follow Gokudera's voice and head towards him, or escape the building like he was told.

_Gokudera should be fine; he's strong. _He came to a conclusion, and made a run for the exit, which should've been the light that peered through a while ago.

As he arrived outside, his vision was back to normal. Everything was in ruins like the other day. Tsuna turned around and looked at the main door he just escaped from. The odd gas was overflowing out. This was the glass door they entered yesterday, but he didn't seem to remember pushing it open as he fled. It had already been shattered by someone.

"Tsuna!" The silhouette of another friend rushed through the mist.

He ran towards Tsuna, panting. There were fresh cuts all over his body, and thin streams of blood from the end of the wounds. He made a leap at Tsuna as a sudden explosion occurred from behind him. The two fell, rolling along the cement ground.

"Yamamoto, where's everyone else?" Tsuna's eyes peered at hundreds of gashes, frightened. "And what happened?"

"T-This really isn't the point–"

"You guys!" Ryohei sprinted as quickly as his legs could take him, but carrying another body on his back made it difficult. "Catch!"

He untangled the man's fingers that were clung onto his shirt, whispering something in his ear before throwing him at Yamamoto and Tsuna. The body seemed dead as it traveled through the air. His dark navy hair covered the majority of the face.

Yamamoto immediately stood and hurtled again, though this time to catch an endangered life. He pulled him in, mid-air, wrapping both arms around his shoulders, and hit to the ground on his back. He groaned, as he likely just fractured his tailbone when colliding with the hard flooring. Yamamoto pushed himself backwards to lean against a tree at the center of the parking lot, which had a small patch of grass that was surprisingly, still alive.

"You alright?" He asked, attempting to smile, but grunted instead since the pain of stretching even his facial muscles was unbearable.

The blue haired one, caressed between his arms, replied with a faint inhale of breath.

"Ryohei," Tsuna began, "What happened to all you guys? How did Mukuro become like this…?"

"We messed up big time when you were asleep." He turned away in shame. "We shouldn't explain everything right this moment though; Hibari and the octopus-head are still in there."

Tsuna widened his eyes, and started to whine. "We need to help them!" He panicked. "I _need _to go now–"

"Brat…" Mukuro grabbed him by the ankle. "If they're strong enough, they'll escape on their own. There's no way I'm letting you back in there. This group cannot risk three lives at once. If they really are hopeless, then it's always better to lose just two."

Tsuna squat down, shaking in fear. "What are you saying–"

"YOU'RE _NOT _GOING BACK!"

There was silence as Mukuro breathed slowly. His chest was in aching pain, and his throat was so dry. He didn't blame the youth for wanting to help out his friends; it was understandable. But, going to this extent _and _making a wounded person lecture him while choking blood out of the corner of their mouth… That was ignorant.

A tear fell from Tsuna's cheek. His fringe covered his eyes. He bit his lip, and clutched the sleeve of his shirt tightly, tearing it off along the stitches. He held it between a fist, then reached his hand out to Mukuro, giving it to him. Tsuna looked away as Mukuro gently took the piece of cloth from him, unclenching the tight fingers that wrapped around it in guilt.

"Mukuro-san," Tsuna wailed quietly. "I'm s-sorry. Please, don't push yourself anymore."

The said man sighed, blood dripping slowly from his chin. "Thank you."

Ryohei smiled. But, from the corner of his eye, he noticed a figure exiting the doors again. "Hey, there's someone coming out!"

Everyone looked up at the direction he pointed. They either clenched their shirts tightly or clasped their hands, praying that whoever it was wasn't heavily injured. Tsuna held his hands up close to his forehead and shut his eyes tightly. He hoped that it would be his best friend, his faithful partner. He wished for Hibari's safety of course, but no one in the world was unbiased towards certain people.

"Tsuna…" Yamamoto rested a hand over the boy's shoulder. "Disappointment is unnecessary."

Those three words to him clearly described who the escapee was. But, he just couldn't respond nor even open an eye to greet the blessed guardian. Tsuna whimpered, for he was about to let another ocean of sorrow cascade; only, he needed to hold it in. _He's not dead – he isn't. _He finally looked up, and forcefully smiled at everyone, including the man who newly arrived.

"I-I'm glad you got out, Hibari-san," Tsuna whispered. "Did you see Gokude–"

A quick spark of whiteness gleamed near the building. Beams of light, so bright that they covered their eyes with their hands and peaked through gaps between fingers, shined through the windows. It seemed like an act of a lord from the skies, but it couldn't have been. If anything, it was destruction and an abundance of suffering. Then suddenly, the pale rays of light disappeared within a millisecond; as if abruptly erased.

"What was–"

It was sharp and instantaneous. The pressure of unforeseen sound waves pressed against their ears. A pillar of fiery smoke and dust, smothered up through the roof of the grocery. Series of new flashes broke out; shaking the ground below their feet, but none could hear it. Some screamed at the intense pain that entered their heads, though they just couldn't pick up the sound. Everything was muted.

Yamamoto decided to act on instinct, and covered for Tsuna, as he could tell that there would certainly be another explosion before he could count to two. He pushed the boy to the dirt and grass, resting his own body over him.

"Cover your ears!" Although no one would hear, he warned them of the upcoming crisis.

**()()()()()**

His vision was once again blurry. Tsuna groaned as he tried to push himself up, but there was a weight over his chest. He turned around, then widened his eyes at the sight.

"Yamamoto!" Tsuna called, shaking his protectant. "Please, answer me! What was that just now? Yamamoto!"

The swordsman moved his eyes slightly beneath his eyelids, frowning. He opened them a crack, and noticed Tsuna grabbing onto his arm, shivering in fear. Yamamoto lifted the other hand and placed it on Tsuna's head, furrowing his hair that was now enveloped with ash.

"You alright, Tsuna?" He grinned. A thin streak of fresh blood flowed down his forehead.

"I'm fine, thanks to you," Tsuna replied. "H-How's everyone else?"

Hibari leaned against the thin tree, supported by wooden planks and rope to tie it all together. He scoffed when observing his arm, as he saw that there was a deep gash.

"This just can't any worse," Mukuro coughed.

Small pieces of both wood and steel splintered their skin. No one but Tsuna was left unharmed after the sudden explosion. Only, they all knew that compared to someone else in the group, their wounds were probably just ant bites. Everyone lowered their heads and the thought of loss flowed through their minds.

"G-Gokudera-kun was in there…" Tsuna widened his eyes and began panicking. He lifted himself off the ground in attempt to head towards the collapsed building, but his leg muscles couldn't take him further. "I need to see him. We need to see if he's alright."

"You aren't prepared, herbivore." Hibari walked past Tsuna and proceeded forward to check on the storm guardian. He had already anticipated the worst.

"Wait, Hibari-san!" The brunette grabbed onto Kyoya's ankle in desperation. "I want to see my friend… Please."

**()()()()()**

The inside was no better. Faint fires were still burning along the shelves. Barely anything was whole. The ceiling plates had fallen to the floor, revealing peaks of dull sunlight, masked partially by dust and ash. This place could still be seen as a market; one that was completely sold out. None of the nutritional food products remained in a state that they could carry. Aluminum canned vegetables and meats were all crushed, and the food inside gushed out, dripping to the brick floor tiles.

Ryohei stepped over the waste, biting his lip. "This could've saved us for at least a while."

"I know," Hibari whispered angrily under his breath.

In a far corner, the figure of a man was sitting against the dairy products freezer. His chest slowly moved up and down. He was still alive.

"Gokudera-kun!" Tsuna rushed towards him, limping with Yamamoto's support. His expression was of pure joy. "I'm so glad you're–"

But, as the group of young mafiaso got a closer look, they immediately lost all their smiles. Tsuna kneeled to the ground and scooted over to his best friend. His palms were soaked in a puddle of blood. He was crawling through complete gore.

"H-How did t-this…" The boy stuttered, unknowing what else to let escape from his incredibly sore throat.

"Hey, Juudaime," Gokudera greeted, sliding two fingers across his cheek, staining them with more blood.

He was utterly covered in the warm liquid himself. His entire face – a dark crimson. Every time he took a breath, plasma spilled from the corners of his mouth, and cut over his chest. Gokudera lifted a hand and placed them on the wound as to not let Tsuna take a good look. He didn't wish for the Vongola boss to worry more than needed. He knew that these would never heal on their own; even with the help of a doctor, his chance of getting back up was nearly zero percent.

Tsuna clutched his own shirt collar. "Y-You need to lift your arms up to stop the blood flow! Here, I'll give you my shirt so you can wrap it around your chest! Gokudera-kun, come on–"

"No, Juudaime. You'll also catch a cold that way." Gokudera smiled. "I'm done."

"Gokudera, you're not done with anything!"

"I am. At least I've kept my promise from yesterday," he laughed, forgetting that blood would come spurting out. "Shit…"

"Don't force yourself! I'll help you! Here, lean against my shoulder and we'll get out of here, then aid you–"

"Herbivore…" Hibari cursed, looking away. "Let the man be a man. There is nothing more humiliating than a wasted sacrifice. He has pride."

Tsuna narrowed his eyes at the skylark. "What are you saying, Hibari-san?"

"Tsuna, this is a moment you really need to value." Yamamoto wiped his eyes.

"W-Why are you crying? We just reunited with Gokudera-kun."

"Hey, Juudaime," Hayato started, catching Tsuna's focus back onto him. "Remember when I threw dynamite at you the first day we met? I'm sorry about that. Remember when you shouted at me when I was fighting that asshole prince back during the ring conflict? I never knew you cared so much. Remember when I finally won against Gamma and his lightning fox box weapons? Remember when I would be furious at Lambo for calling me names? I'm actually glad that brat's safe now… And, remember the first time I called you 'Juudaime'?"

He stared up at the cracked ceiling. As minutes of silence passed by, the sunlight slowly shifted around the globe, until at one point, it shined onto his face. Gokudera moved his eyes, suffering sharp pain, to take a last look at Tsuna and all his other friends. He managed a slight smile, squeezing Tsuna's hand tightly one more time.

And his eyes went a dull grey.

* * *

**A/N: **Even though this wasn't written as gracefully as I wanted it to be, I actually shed tears typing this. Unbelievable.

Gokudera isn't exactly one of my favorite character in Reborn! so I didn't know how to emphasize his death and make it super fucking depressing. Hopefully the way I used memory recalls filled in the necessity...

I wouldn't fucking know. So, please take a minute to review and tell me where the flaws and flawless parts are if you can spare that time.

(I'm prepared to see a lot of hate though... I have no idea how many people out there loved Gokudera, and yet I cut him off the first chapter. Sorry.)


	2. Apocalypse: Only Just Begun

"Lies…"

Tsuna moved back from the deceased man, a hand clutching his shirt at the chest, above his aching heart. He widened his eyes and began to shake his head slowly while staring at the body before him. Wretched emotions of wrath, guilt, sorrow, and hate traveled through his mind quickly. Tsuna wailed as he began to ball his eyes out at the sight of suddenly losing his dearest friend. He pulled on his own hair, screaming in hope that this was all a lie.

"…H-He really…" Yamamoto walked backwards, tripping over cans. He landed on his already shattered tailbone again, but this time psychological pain overtook the physical nerves. "You gotta be kidding me… G-Gokudera."

"Gokudera-kun!" Tsuna pounded at the ground, landing his fist in his friend's puddle of blood, and splashing it onto himself. "Please… Don't leave."

He sobbed, biting his bottom lip. Tears fell and mixed in with Goikudera's plasma. The pounding internal pain numbed his mind. He couldn't think straight about anything else besides the guilt of not being able to protect Gokudera.

"Goodness…" Mukuro rubbed the front of his neck, as though he was just freed from being choked. He cleared his throat, "Sawada… Don't lose yourself."

"I know how extreme this is, and I know what you're going through," Ryohei sighed shakily, looking down at his feet. His eyes were watering. "But, you'll have to bear with–"

Tsuna suddenly fell over on his side. His clothing began to soak in the blood; they became completely maroon in less than a couple seconds.

"…TSUNA!"

His eyes were closed. Apart from slightly shivering due to cold blood enveloping around him, he wasn't moving. This pain and suffering was too much for him. Not only did he have a mental break down, even Tsuna's body decided to let him rest to overcome the shock. This wasn't how a young boy was supposed to go through his childhood. There was supposed to be sleepovers, barbeques, hanging out, comfort, endless happiness, and just plainly, the time to speak with each other. However, Tsuna lost it all.

**()()()()()**

When he reopened his eyes, his surroundings had changed once again. He was lying on dirt ground, staring up at what used to be called a beautiful, blue sky. There were tall, lean trees surrounding him. Only, they were rotten, and dead. Their outer skins were chipping and could be easily peeled off. An image of Gokudera's corpse suddenly flashed in his head. _NO! _He shook the thought away, frightened.

"Sawada, you're awake?" Ryohei peered down at him. He was sitting against a tree beside the boy who fainted a while ago.

"…Yeah."

"Tsuna, you recall what happened?" Yamamoto appeared from behind a couple pines, and walked towards the two, followed by everyone else.

"…I do," Tsuna's voice was unstable and cracking. "But, I still can't–"

His voice faded away. He lifted an arm to cover his eyes as they began to overflow with tears. His lips trembled as he tried to conceal the wincing noises. However, the sobbing still caused the swordsman to lose himself, too. Yamamoto kneeled with his head placed against the ground. He weeped quietly in that position as though there was an earthquake drill. But, it was much worse.

Ryohei opened his mouth, wanting to comfort them if he could in any way, but shut it again when he realized nothing really would.

"Takeshi was supposed to tell you that while you were gone, we've taken care of Hayato's burial." Mukuro looked away, over at a tree stump.

"...Oh," Tsuna finally replied, holding his breath to try and stop the endless tears of dread.

He moved his hand away and frowned, biting the insides of his mouth to keep it from opening. He wanted to cry so badly, but couldn't until he's given his friend an honorable goodbye. Tsuna pushed his back up against the crippled pine tree to stand up and steady himself. He clenched a fist and exhaled quietly. Looking at the dead stump that represented Gokudera's funeral stone, he walked ever so slowly towards it; dragging his tired feet along the dirt and rubble.

As he reached it, Tsuna noticed the tiniest and unexpected path of green that was stretching its way towards the sunlight. He crouched down on one knee and tilted his head forward at the small form of life that was growing from the cropped tree. Nothing in this world was alive except for them and this one plant. _Incredible. _He reached a hand out to feel the delicate plant's fresh leaves; but he stopped at the thought that it may just die, too, if such an impure being were to touch it. Tsuna retracted his hand and placed them over the patch of dry grass at the roots of the fallen tree instead. This area was just dug up in order to place down Gokudera. He ran his fingers along the ground, shutting his eyes.

"Gokudera-kun," Tsuna began, "Did you know that you helped continue life on this devastated planet? This young plant, growing to reach for the sky, was possible because of you. Even after a heroic death of saving us, you're still sacrificing to save every other forms of life; your body gives it nutrition…" He trailed off as droplets of tears started to fall and soak into the dirt.

Yamamoto finally lifted his head from sobbing. His cheeks were sore due to stretching his mouth. He turned to glance at Tsuna and Gokudera's grave.

At the same time, the two started to wail again. They whined both painfully and happily, "Forever you'll be kind hearted…"

**()()()()()**

Tsuna sniffed the air and smiled. Although it was physically impossible for a human to catch the scent of a single living plant, he imagined it.

As the group settled down, everyone had on worried expressions. Tsuna narrowed his eyes, tilting his head slightly. "What's wrong, you guys?" he questioned while clutching tightly onto his other arm in fear of what was coming. "…What happened back there?"

Ryohei gazed up at the pine trees. "Something extreme… and you really ought to know."

But after those words, nothing else was said. They were all so frightened by sudden, wretched flashbacks, that none of had the courage to speak up. Tsuna's nails were slowly sinking into the first few thin layers of his skin. Only, when he realized, he had already caused little internal bleeding. He rubbed his arm to try and make it disappear from sight at least. _Damn awkward_. Tsuna moved his eyes around in search of something – anything – to get interested in, so he wouldn't seem so retarded in the middle of a group of mafia members who all knew what was going on; except him.

Mukuro took a quick glance at him, but immediately turned away when their eyes met. "Sawada… You must have been wondering why Hayato sacrificed himself for something you are unaware of."

"Y-Yes."

"We all know already, since we've seen _it_. But, you were still asleep at the time, and when you woke, it was only completely chaos. I honestly don't have a clue on where and how to start, though."

Tsuna scratched the back of his head. "Mukuro, may I ask, what was this 'it' that you all saw?"

Hibari suddenly turned and began to walk away from the group without a word. He adjusted his disciplinary coat that was now all tattered with the chairman arm badge dangling, like it would slip off any moment, as he strolled.

Mukuro sighed, "Sawada, what Hayato became a decoy for were–"

The skylark quickly pulled out a tonfa and slammed it against a frail, dead pine; bringing it down to the ground – its crippled branches tangling with those of other nearby trees. He cocked his head around to glare at them; his eyes showing all seriousness. Hibari said in a loud whisper, as Tsuna widened his eyes, looking petrified: "Corpses."

**()()()()()**

The blazing sun that crept closer to earth every second slowly began to set, hiding away from their sight, behind abandoned buildings and torn billboards. Before it got too dark, they had left the deceased forest of eternal "autumn", and came to the next city down the road. Along the ground, revolting bodies lay unmoving. Some were piled on top of another, dead in terrifying positions with their arm or head cocked in the most unnatural way. Those were the people who had no strength to further escape, and were hence, trampled over by others. It was such a lack of respect. And, not to be offensive towards any of the rotting humans here, but the nose-twitching smell they produced was also incredibly putrid and disgusting.

When they first entered this town, everyone stared speechless at the twisted bodies. Soon, they couldn't take in the sight, and turned to looked straight forward as they walked. Their eyes constantly wanted to peer down, but they furrowed their eyebrows to keep their glances high.

Not long after, Yamamoto found an unlocked condo when they were all searching for open places to stay. He called the group over, leading them up the crumbling stairs. A few steps were loose, so he stepped lightly over each one before letting everyone else follow. They tried turning knobs of every apartment to find one that wasn't locked. Only, after a couple tries, Hibari grew impatient. Without thinking much, he kicked open a door with force, and made a "hmph" as he walked inside. They chuckled slightly (even though it wasn't appropriate) and entered behind him.

"Can you explain what you meant now, Hibari-san?" Tsuna asked when they were all done with trying to make themselves as comfortable as surviving a corpse party could be.

"What do you not understand, herbivore?" Kyoya narrowed his eyes at the boy, putting away his tonfas into an inner pocket of his wrecked suit coat.

"I'll tell you, Tsuna," Yamamoto kindly said to cheer him up after being idiotically rejected by Hibari. He attempted a smile. "While you were asleep, we found something out about another reason for the evacuation from earth. It wasn't only because the environment was completely destroyed. Otherwise, everyone wouldn't have been in _such _a hurry. It was also because a certain amount of humans – I don't know if it was suddenly – became _distorted_. They weren't 'people' anymore. Their organs; especially the heart, weren't pumping or processing the way they normally should be; like us. They still bled for some odd reason, but I can be sure that none of those creatures could sense pain. The reason why we know is because we fought many of them when you were sleeping. If you sliced their arms off, they won't howl nor scream. It's probably near impossible to kill them, so that's why Gokudera lit all the dynamite he had hands on, and sacrificed the entire place instead."

Tsuna had an utterly confused expression. "…S-So, Yamamoto, what were they? Sick people?"

"No." Yamamoto shook his head and sighed, "They weren't alive and sick. They were plainly _dead_."

"But, y-you said you guys fought them. Doesn't that mean they were able to move around? I'm sure that dead things are d_-dead_; they're completely immobile."

"That's the point," Mukuro growled. His angered voice wasn't towards Tsuna's incapability to understand things quickly, but towards himself. He, himself, had absolutely no clue and information on these walking corpses.

"Then that means… you were all fighting the dead that somehow revived?"

"Precisely," Hibari answered.

"But, that doesn't–"

"Herbivore, we don't know anything else besides all Yamamoto and the pineapple moron just told you. We also need to search this place thoroughly. There might just be a few of them right here. Let's move." The skylark ordered, getting up from the leather sofa.

The inside of this stranger's home wasn't half bad. It seemed as though the owner only went on a vacation trip somewhere, leaving everything tidied neatly. The only object that had been misplaced slightly was the door mat. As one would presume, the person rushed out hurriedly in hope to catch onto the ride to escape. They must've kicked the mat to a side on their way out the door. Ironic, though. It read "WELCOME".

**()()()()()**

Out in the hallway, the guardians spread out, taking out their personal weapons. Tsuna had swallowed a dying will pill, and began to fly through the building instead of taking the stairs. He checked the top floor and cleared it within a couple minutes. Everyone else strolled around their assigned floor, peering through keyholes before kicking down doors to further investigate the insides. That is, everyone besides Hibari. He knocked down all four, one quickly after the other, and waited at the center of his floor for anything to appear. He was not going to be a stealthy ninja; he was a brutal, mass murderer that could take down an army.

"Careful, little hedgehog," Mukuro teased from the floor above. He leaned over the railing to smirk at Hibari.

"Che. You, too; don't go pissing your pants when maybe a sewer rat jump-scares you."

"Hah, I won't."

Yamamoto started down the stairs to meet up with the two. "You all done with the area?"

"Yes, I'm done." Hibari slipped his tonfas away in some secretive spot of his clothing again. "Double check this idiot's floor, though; he's too chicken to even open _one_."

"Brat," Mukuro cursed, laughing a little. "Yeah, I'm good – I'm set."

"I'm almost ready, too," Ryohei announced at the basement, looking up at them from the middle opening.

It wasn't too dark, since there were a few rays of light shining through the side windows. He could see pretty well. Ryohei punched at rusted knob, popping it out to the other side. He cracked open the door and peered inside, turning his head to look at different angles. _Empty_. He smiled to himself and slowly shut it. However, just as it closed, he heard a low growling. Ryohei bent down to look through the hole that was supposed to have a knob; which he just knocked out. But there wasn't a single thing in that apartment that was moving.

He stood up and turned around to go up the stairs, shouting to the others, "I'm all clear–"

Then a sharp pain shot up the right side of his body. He winced loudly, shaking the arm that first felt the sudden torment. But, as soon as he attempted that, he realized there was a heavy weight clinging onto it. Then, pain quickly increased when the odd grip on his arm became stronger and much tighter. There seemed to be multiple points that were penetrating his arm. This had all elapsed within a second. Ryohei swung his head around, and immediately wished he hasn't done that.

A pair of jaws was chomping down on his already crimson arm. Those teeth belonged to something that had a figure of a human. Only, its own body was rotten and wet, with layers of skin peeling off.

"FUCK!" Ryohei screamed, his voice cracking in between.

He instantly began to cry as he noticed how difficult it was to retract his arm from the corpse's bite. When he could finally pull it back, a chunk of his muscle was already torn away and swallowed by the dead being. Fresh blood spurted out faster than he could react.

"Ryohei!"

"Sasagawa!"

Mukuro and Yamamoto sprinted down the steps with Hibari following right behind. They haulted to a stop as Mukuro saw a glance of the corpse that stood crooked, a foot away from Ryohei, choking down the sun guardian's tender flesh. He paused there, wide-eyed for a millisecond, then shook his head vigorously to snap out of shock. Mukuro rushed towards him, and fiercely pierced the creature through its chest with his trident. He held it there against the wall as it continued to struggle, reaching out both hands to try and rip off Mukuro's arms.

"Guys!" Tsuna belatedly soared down the stairs to the basement. "What's going–"

He inhaled sharply, ceasing in his tracks. Ryohei stared lifelessly back at him, shaking in fear as he gripped his arm tightly. Blood dripped from his fingertips endlessly. He shifted his eyes back down at his gruesome wound. Many pain nerves had been torn straight out, so he barely felt anything except for a slight stinging and numbness. Although, he knew clearly that the injury was definitely there and it was inevitable. As Ryohei looked closer, he realized there were jagged and nauseating pieces of teeth still stuck between his skin. He didn't dare touch nor pull them out.

"Ryohei!" Tsuna shrieked in his serious, dying-will tone. _I can't lose another one. I can't!_

The Vongola boss turned to the brawling corpse that Mukuro pinned down. He glared at it dead in its eyes with intense hatred burning through his own iris, turning them into a scorching, neon orange that flickered passionately as time rapidly went by. The dead creature stopped its movements for less than a second when they exchanged glances, but then continued to wrestle with the trident once again. Tsuna targeted its face, aiming with a hand out in front of him. He immediately fired without remembering to set an equivalent force with the other hand to balance. Thus, the same time he blasted the rotting bastard's head off; he also propelled himself backwards, slamming into the wall behind.

Tsuna shook his head lightly as the world was slowly spinning around him. Yamamoto rushed towards him and kneeled down to his eye-level. Tsuna ignored him for the while, and moved his eyes to look at an inflamed skull with a small amount of flesh still covering it, lying on the ground next to Mukuro's feet. Satisfaction.

And he went out cold.

* * *

**A/N: **Okay, I know that in my bio, I said that I don't do weekly updates. However, this chapter actually _was _posted in about a week. This is really only because I'm always super hyped about writing new stories. So... please don't start expecting updates _this _fast, because it ain't going to happen, sadly (I think? Unless you're all unsatisfied with this tale).

I do realize that I ended the chapter abruptly, so I guess you all just need to wait a while for more :)

I mean, of course I'll try to write whenever I have time, but I will never promise anything (otherwise you'd be chasing after me with chainsaws and hockey masks when I end up lying).

See you shitty sadists soon.

(That alliteration ^ Aw yeah)


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